I wasn’t sure how she’d managed to orchestrate it, but the raccoon attack was her fault.
“Go change and then we’ll talk.” I finally managed to hold the animal by its scruff, making it possible for me to open the nearest run and toss in our temporary guest. Fur standing on end, he reminded me of a cookie. The chocolate ones with cream filling. “Oh no, you don’t.”
The little booger slammed into the mesh the second after I flipped the latch, but racoons were sneaky. And dexterous. Already he was groping for the metal lever, trying to spring himself from jail. Which meant I had to babysit the enclosure until Sloane padded in wearing scrubs from the laundry room.
Indicating the problem, I asked, “Can you get me a lock, please?”
“Sure thing.” She hurried off, doing a poor job of hiding her amusement. “I hope you’ve got a key.”
Dogs were few and far between that required us to secure their runs, but we did harbor escape artists from time to time, so a drawer full of locks was a must.
“The key should be in the lock.” I caught what she tossed me then checked it twice. “Good deal.”
“That’s smart.” She crouched beside me. “The key thing.”
“There are also two pairs of bolt cutters in the potting shed, if that tells you anything.”
“Tell the truth.” She examined our captive. “How much face did Liam lose?”
“Less than one percent.” I heard a thread of worry but not remorse. “Better luck next time?”
“Ah well.” She gripped my elbow and tugged me to my feet next to her. “Let’s go talk crawl spaces.”
The guys were waiting for us inside the front door, and Liam’s glare promised Sloane retribution.
Scratches slashed his cheeks, and his bottom lip was bloody from a bite. His left eye was swollen, and his right ear was clotted in places. For his sake, I hoped his rabies shots were up to date.
“What did you find?” Rían sank into a chair in the waiting room. “Anything promising?”
“There’s a nest under there.” Sloane flapped her hand. “And I don’t just mean the raccoon one.”
“We found a duvet spread out and tacked down. There’s a cooler, a rechargeable fan, and a few other small electronics. The scent belongs to Jess, and she’s spent a large amount of time there for it to be so strong. There’s no indication she’s done anything wrong, but we have to confront her. Get some answers.”
Hmm. Maybe I had been too quick to blame Sloane. Even Liam hadn’t pointed a finger at her.
Unsecured food would attract wild animals. Maybe it simply attacked to protect its den.
Or, based on the cold calculation in Liam’s eyes, he had other ideas about how to get even with her.
“The area stinks like fear and anxiety,” Sloane added, careful to keep her distance from him. “Granted, she’s an anxious person, but this felt like overkill to me. She’s afraid. Not sure why she’s camping out, but she’s not acting in a professional capacity. No spy that twitchy would have survived this long in any organization.”
“Carmichael might have leverage on her,” Rían suggested, mirroring my thoughts.
“She has no family and few friends.” Liam pursed his lips. “No pets or dependents.”
That left one option, another favorite exploitation tactic. “How are her finances?”
“She doesn’t go anywhere or do much of anything. Her job pays well, so she lives comfortably.”
“That leaves sex.” Sloane squinted her eyes at Rían. “Anything you want to confess, Legs?”
A sharp pinch in the center of my chest curled my fingers into fists down by my sides.
“I’ve never had sex with her.” He shook his head. “She’s never shown any interest in me.”
“Jealousy is a classic. Unrequited love too.” Liam mulled it over. “Jess could be keeping tabs on Ana in the hopes of wrecking your relationship.” He caught Rían’s eye. “Wanting to be in bed with you would be better than her being in bed with Sartori.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Sloane popped him upside the head. “Ana isright there.”
